On March 24, 2023, the School of Business Shantou University received a formal letter of congratulations from the Business Graduates Association (BGA), one of the three international systems for accrediting business education. The letter congratulated the School of Business STU on successfully achieving accreditation by BGA, which is an accomplishment following the EPAS international accreditation in 2017.
Congratulation letter from AMBA & BGA
From 2022 to January 2023, a BGA Panel consisting of Ms. Leila Guerra, Vice Dean of Imperial College Business School, Imperial College, UK, Prof. Yongmiao Hong, Dean of School of Economics and Management, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, China, Prof. Luis Vives, Deputy Dean of ESADE Business School, Spain, Prof. Zhongming Wang, Director of Global Entrepreneurship Research Centre, Zhejiang University, China and International Advisor for China at AMBA & BGA, and Mr. George ILIEV, Director of AMBA & BGA, UK, conducted several rounds of assessment of the school.
Prof. Zhifeng Hao, President of Shantou University, Zhibo Zou, Party (CPC) Secretary of School of Business, Prof. Qiang Liang, Dean of School of Business, Prof. Yue'e Long, Prof. Gongxing Guo Vice Deans of School of Business and relevant teachers and administrative staff, a total of more than 20 people participated in the assessment sessions.
Throughout the meeting, President Zhifeng Hao had extensive conversations with the BGA penal. He appreciated the AMBA & BGA organization for helping to advance the caliber of international business education and provided an overview of Shantou University's current status and five-year growth plan. He emphasized the value Shantou University places on BGA accreditation and mentioned the university’s steadfast support for the school’s development. As a practitioner of business education, the School of Business has recently continued to reform and innovate in discipline development, talent training, and international exchange, and has achieved outstanding results in collaboration with governments and corporations, and in serving the local economy.
President Zhifeng Hao met with the BGA panel
The Dean of the School of Business, Prof. Qiang Liang, presented a report on the school's strategy at the leadership discussion session. The two sides then addressed the school's strategy, talent development, academic research, teaching system, responsible and sustainable management, and social services while exchanging opinions based on the BGA self-assessment report, the 14th Five-Year Plan, and the Continuous Impact Model (CIM ).
Leadership group discussion
The BGA panel raised specific questions during the discussion session on program characteristic, training programs, curriculum design, teacher assessment, alumni work, etc. On the spot, the professors, department heads and administration managers answered all questions and the two sides engaged in lengthy conversations about the development of the two sample programs, undergraduate business administration and MBA, respectively.
Program group discussion
In the meantime, the BGA panel used the online repository Baseroom to conduct a critical review of the school's local services, teaching resources, course syllabi, theses, coursework, and other relevant materials for the pass three years. The panel also used questionnaires to ask stakeholders like faculty, alumni, employers and students for opinions.
The School of Business STU has made significant contributions to responsible management education, intelligence tank leadership, local economic services, and the development of lifelong platforms, which have been fully acknowledged by the BGA panel following a thorough and meticulous evaluation. The panel also highly praised the school's innovative initiatives in scientific research, academic characteristics, discipline construction, teaching quality, and faculty talents, providing practical advice in promoting faculty development, female leadership, and core curriculum.
Since the preparation for accreditation, the School of Business has been adhering to the strategy of "Learning about local businesses and serving the immediate community; committed to globally recognized standard teaching and research; building on distinctive strengths; striving for first-class education", always adhering to the accreditation concept of "assessment for construction” and taking international accreditation as a grip to promote the internal development of the school. The School of Business STU has gradually integrated with the global community in terms of strategic planning, school quality, and talent training with the successful passing of the BGA accreditation. This is significant in encouraging the school to further improve its teaching system and the construction of a high-level business school with distinctive international characteristics.
About the AMBA
The Association of MBAs (AMBA) was founded in the UK in 1967 as an independent body specializing in MBA quality accreditation. The AMBA accreditation criteria cover nine areas: school, programs, faculty, students, outcomes, curriculum, teaching, assessment and impact, with a focus on reflecting the development of business and management practice. Since 2018 there has been a particular focus on leadership, innovation and entrepreneurship, education in ethics and social responsibility, and the social impact and lifelong learning of business school graduates.
About the BGA
The Business Graduates Association (BGA), a new sister branded school-level accreditation association that builds on the AMBA accreditation in 2019, aims to create a 'leading global movement' in business education that is committed to responsible management practices and lifelong learning. Its Continuous Impact Model (CIM) consists of six different dimensions include: intent, graduate achievement,value creation,scholarship, ecosystem, and society.
